As of now, the echoes of the VCS Spring 2022 finals still linger in the minds of the Vietnamese League of Legends community. Not only because this season marked the return of VCS on the international stage, but also due to the undefeated record of GAM Esports throughout the tournament.
In particular, they achieved this remarkable 15-month streak while also participating in the SEA Games 31 alongside VCS Spring 2022. Not to mention, according to some vlogs about life in the gaming house, GAM players also faced a period of COVID-19 infections that affected their health.
Notably, in this Spring 2022 season, the bot lane, especially the ADC position, is no longer a weakness for GAM. It has been a long time since Noway left the team, and GAM has not had a truly worthy ADC. Players like Blazes, Jisoo, and even EasyLove did not meet expectations. Among them, only EasyLove had a decent time with GAM before Sty1e arrived.
It can be said that bringing in Sty1e – a player who was then a substitute for Saigon Buffalo – was the best decision made by GAM, at least up to this point. From being an ADC doubted by the entire League of Legends community, including commentators, experts, and fans alike, Sty1e has progressively matured in his gameplay. Notably, he was the core player in GAM’s strategy this past Spring. Sty1e was even awarded the MVP title of the finals.
Immediately, the VCS community began to resurface comments criticizing Sty1e when GAM first announced the recruitment of this player. The reason for such comments mainly stemmed from Sty1e’s past issues with toxicity while ranking alongside Faker. Although GAM’s ADC did not target Faker, he was reported by him, which gave the League of Legends community a reason to criticize. Additionally, being a substitute for SGB meant Sty1e did not have many chances to showcase his skills prior.
However, many GAM fans still placed their trust in the team, and they were duly rewarded.
Yet, it is precisely these comments that highlight Sty1e’s professional resilience. From an ADC receiving excessive criticism and skepticism, Sty1e’s gameplay has increasingly soared. His performances serve as the most poignant response to the doubts from the VCS community over the long period since Sty1e donned the black and yellow jersey of the champions.